Kylie
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Posts posted by Kylie
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lol! I am rubbish at reviews. When I am telling someone about a book I am fine but when I try and write it down I just can't think of a good way to say it, daft eh!
I'm the opposite. I'm a terrible talker; I can never think of what to say. If I was to tell someone about The Book Thief I'd probably just end up saying 'it was a brilliant book' and leave it at that. Maybe I should send them a link to my reivew I much prefer writing - that way I have time to get my thoughts in order and set it out just right.
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Congrats on starting your own book club! I'd be too scared to take on the responsibility (I'm not a very outgoing person). I think The Book Thief is an excellent book to start off with. There's certainly plenty of material that can be discussed!
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I hope you both enjoy the classics you choose to read. I started a few years ago and it was the best thing I've ever done. There is a goldmine of terrific literature out there to be enjoyed. The stories are (I reckon) generally more brilliant than a lot of what is written nowadays, in large part because of the writing style, which I find more poetical. But of course, like anything, there are dud stories too
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Thanks
Sometimes I really struggle when writing reviews, even when I really enjoyed the book. And then sometimes it all just clicks into place (well, it still took me a long time to write, but at least I could think of something to write!) -
I thought the first part was drawn out too, but personally I think it picks up a bit in the second part and it gets a bit more interesting.
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Markus Zusak
Rating: 10/10
Published: 2005
Number of pages: 584
Summary (taken from blurb):
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. And will become busier still.
By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery.
So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.
But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.
Comments:
What a beautiful piece of work. One of those books that tugs at the heartstrings and reminds you why you love reading so much: for the chance to come across a gem like this every now and then.
The characterisation is brilliant. The characters are so real - they're unique, flawed and beautiful, and I came to love every single one of them. The narration by Death and all the little asides that came with it is very well done. And it's interesting how Zusak uses Death to tell us what is going to happen, but manages to do so without lessening the impact of the story in any way.
I could rave about the characters until the cows come home, but I'll try to restrict myself to a few short points. Liesel is a beautifully charming young girl, and her foster father, Hans Hubermann, is such a wonderful person - the type you wish you knew in real life. I enjoyed the infrequent but invaluable insights into Rosa Hubermann's real character and my heart broke for Rudy over and over throughout the entire book. Max Vandenburg's artwork also lent a lot to the book - much more insight is given into his character through his stories and art, all of which was very touching.
I haven't read a lot in the way of WWII literature so I don't have much to compare The Book Thief to, but I love that Zusak gives the reader a German perspective of what was happening in their lives.
This is one of the most powerful books I have read in a while and has definitely been added to my list of absolute favourites. A brilliant and very emotional read (I recommend having a lot of tissues handy). Having shamelessly gushed over this book, all that is left to say is that I very highly recommended it!
Started: 10 June 2008
Finished: 16 June 2008
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Cool, I've removed some of the elements from my page so it's a bit less cluttered.
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It took me while to get into but after halfway I was hooked.
My sentiments exactly kehs!
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Thanks for the recommendation Sumnerkagen, and welcome to the forum!
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Hi Carmen and
to the forum! Sorry to say, but I didn't enjoy The Alchemist much at all. I think it's a book that's best read at certain times in one's life; I might have enjoyed it more if I'd read it 5 years ago. There wasn't much in it for me -
I think you'll find that you can't edit a post until you have made 10 posts (in case you're wondering where the Edit button is
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Hi Posh and welcome to the BCF!
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Welcome to the forum, Whispering Pines!
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In NSW, we do the HSC, and I studied (if memory serves):
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
The Harp in the South by Ruth Park
Now that I think about it, they're pretty basic texts to study compared to the classics that the rest of you did.
We also did poetry by Robert Frost and another Robert whose surname escapes me at the moment.
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I hate that too Echo. I'm not sure why they give such large portions. A lot of it gets wasted and many people end up so full from trying to eat it all. All it does is contribute to the obesity problem. If restaurants started giving smaller portions, it would probably help in educating people that smaller portions is the way to go.
I always feel guilty when I leave a lot behind but it just can't be helped. I try to make it look less bad by squashing everything to one side of the plate, leaving as much clear space on the plate as possible. Never mind that the food is now heaped a foot high on the side of the plate!
I'll also hide as much as I can (under a lettuce leaf or something). If it's looking really bad, I'll just dump some on Mum or Dad's plate to make them look bad instead of me. Heehee!I often think of homeless people going without (especially when you see places like bakeries throwing away heaps of bread at the end of the day - can't they distribute them where needed?)
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I like the idea of reading a couple of chapters as well.
But then, if you really don't want to read it, there's no point forcing yourself to even start. If you're not looking forward to it to begin with, that might taint your view of it so you'll dislike it regardless.
In which case, you could just send it back saying 'thanks, but I couldn't get into it and I have a lot of other books waiting to be read, etc'. And it wouldn't be lying
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To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my very favourite books, and The Count of Monte Cristo isn't far behind - it's a mammoth read, but it's quite easy and very enjoyable.
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I love cricket, too. Don't think much of 20/20, to be honest - it loses much of the subtlety and depth that makes a decent cricket match interesting, in my view - but you can't beat a good Test match. I could sit and watch Shane Warne bowl for hours!
When I was in Sydney a few years back, I was really looking forward to catching a day's play at the SCG. Then I realised that they don't play in August! (I consoled myself with trips to Brookvale Oval and Toyota Park instead ...)
I quite like 20/20, but I worry that it will eventually take over and make test (and even perhaps one-dayers) obsolete. Because of India's success with the IPL, a lot of countries will want to do their own version and the game is clearly going to expand and become much bigger than it currently is.
Brookvale Oval and Toyota Park...
I haven't even been to those places myself. I keep meaning to though...And by the way, the Ashes are only on loan ....Oh yeah? How long are they on loan for? 20 years? More like indefinitely!
And don't get me started on the fact that the Ashes are kept in England full-time regardless of how often Australia keeps winning -
Hi Tambo and
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I enjoyed your review
So far I've only read Neverwhere, but I'm looking forward to reading more of his work. I have Good Omens on my TBR pile so I might read that next. -
Hello Niranjan and
to the forum. I read Great Expectations recently and really enjoyed it. -
Glad I could help, Shelbel
I really hope you enjoy the series as well! -
I've waxed lyrical about John Marsden's series on here a few times before, I think, Shelbel! I think it's an awesome series as well, and I've re-read it many times. I started with the first book when I was about the same age as your daughters (26 now).
We read Tomorrow, When the War Began for English in Year 8 and I recall that everyone loved it (very unusual for a book selected by the school!) and the next couple of books were always in high demand at the library. At that time, it was only a trilogy, but I think it was shortly after that that Marsden released the next book.
I'm so glad teens are still enjoying them just as much! Have you considered reading them? I know they're about teenagers but they're the kind of books that are very enjoyable for adults too.
I liked that Marsden never clearly stated the characters' ages. This meant that I was able to imagine them as being 15 when I first read the series; the next year when I was 16, they became 16 as well, and it continued that way until I finally left school and had to leave them behind
I still re-read the entire series every year or two - the characters are very much like friends to me.Are you aware that John Marsden did another spin-off of the series called The Ellie Chronicles? It's based on Ellie's life after the war and the books are just a continuation of the other series (and just as wonderful). The books are called:
While I Live
Incurable
Circle of Flight
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I love cricket! I occasionally go to the games but usually prefer to watch it on telly so I can see all the stats and replays. When I went to England in 2004 I did a tour of Lords, which was excellent! We got to see the player's changerooms and went out onto the little balcony, and into the press box etc. It was one of the best things I did while I was over there. Oh, and I saw the Ashes urn as well, of course!
When the Ashes were on in Australia last (the one where we, ahem, won the Ashes back
), I took a lot of time off work so I could stay home and watch it all. The most enjoyable way for me to spend a day off is during cricket season, when I can lounge around and watch the cricket while reading snippets of my book during commercials (or during the cricket itself - let's face, it's not vital to watch every ball bowled during a test!).<sigh> Only 4 or 5 more months until the cricket season starts up again. Until then, I'll have to live vicariously through you, KB!
Cricket
in Sport
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That makes no sense! It was said that the decision (although it was unpopular and led to Darrel Hair being banned from umpiring for a while) was within the laws of cricket. The ICC are now overturning their own laws! They keep changing them to suit themselves and in the process they're making umpires, teams and countries look silly.